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SUSTAINABILITY
24
| p2p Magaz i ne | Summer 2013
01732 759725
Green hero goes zero
Office services company Commercial Group
has become the first company in its sector
to become ZeroWaste
Guardian Sustainable Business Awards,
winning an Innovation award in the
Employee Engagement category.
Green Angels are drawn from different
parts of the business and work together
to deliver business transformation and
communication projects. Every four
months a new team of six employees is
established to come up with new ways
to support the company’s core CSR
commitments (see box). At the end of
their term, Green Angels pass their wings
to a successor. So far, over 97% of staff
have been involved.
As well as being the driving force
behind campaigns like ZeroWaste, Green
Angels have set up Angel Days when staff
can give time to good causes; introduced
pool bikes that can be booked like
meeting rooms; and created maps of the
local area to promote a healthy lifestyle.
Commercial claims that the
programme has saved nearly £500,000,
contributed to growth of 50% since
2006 – Commercial is now a £30 million
turnover company – and repeatedly
set new benchmarks for the industry:
Commercial was the first in its sector
The road to sustainable business is
rarely smooth but the rewards can
make it worthwhile, as Commercial
Group found out last month when
it was among the winners at The
Guardian Sustainable Business Awards.
The Cheltenham-based office supplies
and services company started its CSR
journey in 2006 when it became a
Carbon Neutral company, buying carbon
offsets to neutralise greenhouse gas
emissions generated by its business
activities.
Offsetting has its critics, but its
defenders point out that by putting
a price on carbon, it incentivises
businesses to operate in a more
sustainable way. Commercial Group is
a case in point, immediately making
a commitment to reduce its carbon
footprint by 75% by 2010.
Since then, it has continued to invest
in energy-saving technologies including
the installation of solar panels and the
use of hydrogen vans to reduce the
carbon footprint of deliveries.
Commercial’s sustainability strategy
was initiated by co-founder Simone
Hindmarch-Bye, following a screening of
Al Gore’s
An Inconvenient Truth
in 2006,
and is now embedded in the corporate
culture and delivered by environmental
strategist Simon Graham and teams of
Green Angels.
Innovation Award
The success of the Green Angels
initiative was recognised at The
Businesses that want to follow
Commercial’s example and reduce their
own environmental footprint will find
plenty of inspiration at the Eco Technology
Show taking place at the Brighton Centre
on June 14-15.
With more than 100 exhibitors, covering
everything from microgeneration and solar-
powered computers to e-bikes and electric
cars, the exhibition touches many areas of
business life.
Key areas likely to be of interest to FMs
and office managers are power management;
energy-efficient lighting; water-saving
solutions, from rain harvesting to waterless
urinals; green roofs; solar window film; and
business services, such as printing.
Visitors in need of guidance and advice
will find a large number of consultants to
choose from in the exhibition area. The
extensive workshop and seminar programme
is another valuable source of information.
Entry costs £5 but is free to readers of
Pen
To Paper
. To take advantage of this offer visit
www.ecotechnologyshow.co.uk
and follow
registration links for people with special
promotional codes, quoting ‘
PenToPaper53
’
when prompted.
Commercial’s
10 Commitments
1. Be Carbon Positive
2. Report Openly
3. Reduce Carbon Significantly
4. ReduceWaste to Landfill
Significantly
5. Help Customers Reduce their
Footprint
6. Reduce the Footprint of our
Supply Chain
7. Help our Local Communities
8. Care for those Less Fortunate
9. Look After One Another
10. Influence the Big Picture
to be CarbonNeutral; the first to attain
Energy Saving Trust Gold Motorvate
status; the first in its sector to sign the
BITC Responsible Marketplace Principles;
and the first to join the Ethical Trading
Initiative.
Zero waste
In April, Commercial reached another
milestone. By working closely with
recycling suppliers and encouraging
staff to ‘Reduce, Reuse and Recycle’,
Commercial became the first company
Eco Technology Show 2013
Continued...
ZeroWaste:
Commercial
co-founder Simone
Hindmarch-Bye (in
pink), Mayor Colin
Hay and Green
Angels Team 5.